Electric railway-signal



(No Model.) ZSheetS-Sheet 1.

A. W. HALL.

- ELECTRIC RAILWAY SIGNAL.

No.276,8o7. `PAI-,Anm May 1,1883.

FLAI u RMI f n/ ina (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet .2.

A. W. HALL. ELEGTRIG RAILWAY-SIGNAL. No. 276.807. Patented May 1,1883.

j Nimmo/e M wwy A 1ra/k w m w W v5 Mmm; 177/ Mb Y Wwe- UNITED STATES ALVAH WV. HALlnYOF` MERIDEN, CONNECTICUT.

ELECTRIC RAILWAY-SIGNAL.

SPECIFICATION forming' part of Letters Patent No. 276,807, dated May 1, 1883.

Application tiled September 6, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern y Be it known that I, ALVAH W. HALL, a citizen ot the United States, residing at Meriden, in the county ot' Newlavcn and State ot' Connecticut, have invented new and useful Improvements in ElectricltailWay-Signals, of which the followingis a specication.

This invention relates to an electric railroadsignal which Works on a closed circuit, and 1o which, whenever the circuit is broken, falls by its own gravity into sight to indicate dan ger. y

My invention consists in the particular coustruction and combination ot' parts, as fully pointed out in thefollotving specification.

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in WhichFigure 1 represents a front view of my signal. Fig. 2 is a sectional side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is a zo face view of the reversing-magnet. Fig. 4 is a diagram showing the connection ot the several parts With the battery. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the track, showin g one of the track-instruments in elevation, said instrument being the one in which the circuit is normally made and is broken by the passage of the train.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts. In the drawings, the letter A designates the 3e Vsignal-disk, which 4is secured to an arm, B, iirmly mounted on a rock-shaft, n, said disk being balanced by a counter-weight, C, so that the disk, when it is left to follow its own Vgravity, falls down into sight; hutvery little power is required to raise and retain it in position out ot' sight. On the rock-shaft c is firmly mounted a }.iulley,b,whicl1 connects by a chain, c", and rod d with a lever, c, that has its ful- Crum on a rock-shaft,f, journaled inlugs fixed 4o Vto the frame D. To this lever, at a pointnear to its fulcrum, is pivoted` a rod, E, the lower end ot' `which is pivoted to the outer end of the armature-lever, F, of an electro-magnet,

G, so that when this clectromagnet is vitalized and its armature is attracted the signal 'A is raised out of sight. An additional counter-weight, H, which is adjustably secured on a lever, I, facilitates the operation ot' raising the signal. With the armature-lever F' is 5o combined a lever, J, which, when the armature is attracted andthe signal raised, acts veach other.

upon a spring, g, so as to depress its-loose end upon a metallic plate, 7L, Figs. 1,2, and 4, and bring the binding-posts l() and 11 in. metallic contact. These binding-posts are secured in i a board, K, whichis 'fastened to the frame D, and on this board are also secured two bind-V ing-posts, 12 and 13, which areinsulated from The endsof the helices ot' electro-magnet Gr connect With binding-posts 14 V6@ and 15, which are supported by the frame D,

and are insulated from each other.

The reversingmagnet L, Figs. 3 and 4, is secured to a separate support, M, and its armature-leverNhasits fulcrum on apiv0t,. From 65 this armature-lever extend two arms,j k, carrying rollers j k', and to the arm 7c is secured a cylinder, l, which engages with a plunger, m, to form an air-cushion, the Weight of said cylinder being nearly but not fully counter- 7c balanced by a weight,`n, secured to the arm j. The roller j acts on a contact-spring, o, and the roller la" on a contact-spring, p. The Acontact-spring o is fastened to a metallic support, 16, and its loose end, `when depressed, acts `on a metal contact-piece, 17. The contact-springp is fastened to a metallic support, 1S, and its loose end, when depressed, acts on 'a metallic contact-piece, 19.

T T are the track-instruments, situated on 8o opposite sides of the signal A. (See Fig. 4.) The track-instrument T consists of a spring, which is fastened toa metallic support, 20, and the loose end otwhich, when in its normal positiombears upon the metalliccoutact-piece S 5 2l. The track -instrument T consists of a spring, which is fastened to a metallic support, 22, and the loose end ofwhich, when in its normal condition, is ont ot' contact `with the metallic contactpiece 23. Any equivalent de- 9o vice may be used in lieu of these springs. The track-instrument T does not essentially differ in construction from the instrumentl illustrated in Fig. 5, thc principal difference being that in the former the circuit is normally broken and is made bythe passage of the train, while in the latter the circuit is normally made and is broken by the passage ot' the train.

Each signal has its own battery U.` The 1oz; connections are as follows The contact-piece 21 of track-instrument T connects by wire 24 with the ground, and the support 20 of the track-instrument connects by wire 25 with the contact-piece 17 of spring j of the reversingmagnet L, Figs. 3 and 4. The support 16 of spring o connects by wire 26 with bindingpost 13, Figs. 1 and 4, and this binding-post connects by wire 27 with binding-post 11, and through the spring g (if the signal is raised to safety 7) with binding-post 10. This bindingpost connects by wire 28 with binding-post 14, and through' the helix of electro-magnet G with binding-post 15, which connects by wires 29 30 with one pole of battery U. The opposite pole. of the battery is grounded by wire 34. When the spring of track -instrument T is closed down upon contact-piece 21, therefore, the battery-circuit through the electro-magnet G is closed, and the signal is maintained in its raised position. When a train approaches in the direction of arrow 1, Fig. 4, the spring T is, while the train is passing, raised out of contact with contact-piece 21, the circuit through the electro-magnet G is broken, and the signal drops down, showing danger, so as to protect the first train against a following train until said rst train passes the track-instrument T', which is so constructed that its spring is depressed by the wheels of the train against contact-piece 23. At the same time, when the signal shows danger, the spring g recedes out of contact with plate h and bindingpost 10, Figs. 2 and 4. The support 22 of spring T is grounded, Fig. 4, and the contactpiece 23 connects by wire 31 with helix L, and through this helix and wire 30 with batteryU. The circuit through electro-magnet L is closed, the armature N is attracted, the roller K depresses spring p momentarilyagainst contactpiece 19, and the circuit through signalmagnet G is closed through wires 32, bindingposts 14 15, wires 29 and 30 to one pole of the battery U, and through wires 33,'the ground, and wire 34 to the other pole of said battery.

As the armature N is attracted by electromagnet L the spring o recedes from the contact-piece 17, while the spring p also recedes from its contactpiece 19 after having been momentarily closed, as before stated, and the circuitthrough signal-magnetG would be again broken if the track-instrument T should from some cause remain closed or the wire 31 become grounded, so Vthat the signal would drop back and show dangerg 7 but as soon as the outgoing train has passed the track-instrument T the circuit through the electro magnet L is broken, the armature N drops back by 'the weight of the cylinder Z, the springp is again closed for a short time, the signal is raised to safety, the springs g ando are closed down, and the circuit through the signal-magnet G is closed through wire 24, track-instrument. T, wire 25, spring o, wire 26, binding-post 13, wire 27,bindingposts 1l and 10, wire 28, binding-post 14, helix G, binding-post 15, wires 29 and 30, battery U, and wire 34. The signal shows safety until the spring of the trackinstrument T is again raised by the wheelsof the next train. By the air-cushion Z m the motion of the armature N in fallingback is retarded,and the spring p is closed sufiiciently long to raise the signal to safety.

It' desired, a secondary signal (either audible or visible) may be connected with the main signal A, and located at a suitable distancein front ot' said main signal, so as to indicate to the engineer of an incoming train the position of the main signal before he reaches it. Another secondary signal may be placed at a distance behind the main signal to inform the engineer of the passing train if the apparatus is in proper workin g order. By this combination l am enabled to indicate to the engineer on each train if it is safe for him to proceed, or if there is a train ahead,and unless the position ofl my signals is disregarded the danger of running one train into another is absolutely avoided.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of a signal constructed to be maintained in a position indicating safety by an electro-magnet, and to drop into a position indicating danger 7 by its own gravity, a signal-magnet which, when vitalized, maintains the signal in apositionindicatin g safety a track-instrument which in its normal condition is closed and forms part of the circuit through the signal-magnet,and which is opened by the wheels of a passing train, a spring, o, which, when closed,forms part of the' circuit of the signal-magnet, a reversing-magnet, the armature-lever of which closes said spring when the magnet is not vitalized, and a battery, the electric connections being from the track-instrument T through the spring-contacts o and g, the signal-magnet, and thence to battery and ground.

2. The combination, substantially as before described, of avsignal constructed to be maintained in a position indicating safety by an electro-magnet, and to drop into a position indicating danger by its own gravity, a signal-magnet which, when vitaliz'ed, maintains thesi gnal in a position indicating safety, atrack-instrument which in its normal position is closed and forms part of the circuit through the signal-magnet, and which is opened by the wheels of a passing train, a lever, J, which is actuated by said signal, asprin g, g,which forms part of the circuit of the signal-magnet when the signal occupies a position indicating safety, a spring, o, which, when closed, forms part of the circuit ot' the si gnal-magnet, a reversingmagnet, the armature-lever of which closes said spring when the magnet is not vitalized, and a battery, the electric connections being from the track-instrumentT through the springcontacts o and g, the signal-magnet, and thence to battery and ground.

3. The combination, substantially as h'ereinbefore described, of a signal constructed to be maintained in a position indicating safety by an electro-magnet, and to drop into a posi- ICO herein- IIO evaso? 1 tion indicating danger by its own gravity, a signatmagnet which, When vitalized, 1naintainsthesignalinapositionindicatingsat`ety.,77

a track-instrument which in its normal condition is closed and. forms part of the circuit through thesignal-magnet,and which is opened by the Wheels of a passing train, a spring, p, which, when closed, forms part ofthe circuit through the signal-magnet, a reversing-niagnet, the armature-lever of' which closes said spring momentarily when the magnet is vitalized, and a battery, the electric connections being through track-instrnmentT, spring-contacts o and g, through signalmagnet, and

thence to battery and ground, thence through trackinstrument T "and reversing-magnet L to battery and ground. u

4. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore described, of the reversing track-instrumentT, the reversing-magnet L, the armaturelever N, contact-springs o p, actuated by said armature-lever, the signal-magnet G, sign al A,

and battery U.

ALVAH W. HALL. if.. s]

` Witnesses:

W. HAUFF, WILLIAM MrLLER. 

